Joan of Arc

Timeline

Youth, page 2

page 1 of 2

Summary

Joan of Arc, a remarkable woman, was born into rather
unremarkable circumstances. Her peasant family lived in the small
French village of Domremy, between Champagne and Lorraine. Judging from
the age she claimed to be at various parts of her life, she must have
been born sometime around 1412, although the exact date is unknown.
Her father was Jacques of Arc, and her mother was Isabelle Romee.
Joan had three brothers: Jacquemin, Pierre, and Jean. She also
had a sister, Catherine, who died before Joan left on her mission
to help the Dauphin in 1429. Joan's family, and most of Domremy,
supported the Dauphin. However, they lived very near a pro-Burgundy
area. Conflict between villagers from the two regions often erupted
in violence, which Joan witnessed throughout her childhood.

As a peasant in the 15th century, Joan had no formal schooling and
probably did not know how to read, although near her death she
did know how to sign her name. Whatever schooling Joan had she
received from her mother, Isabelle. An extremely pious woman who
may have even made a pilgrimage to Rome, Isabelle carefully taught
Joan her prayers. Joan inherited her religious devotion from her
mother, and throughout Domremy Joan was always known as an exceptionally
pious and devout girl.

Tradition says that Joan worked as a shepherdess, tending
her family's flock of sheep. Certainly she helped work the family
lands, exhibiting a particular gusto for men's heavy labor, such
as plowing. Her diligent work on the family farm made her strong,
and many in Domremy were impressed with Joan's exceptional strength for
a female. But while Joan was fond of the physical exertion of traditional
men's work, she also spun thread and sewed just like any other 15th-
century peasant girl, and was allegedly just as skilled in this
"women's work" as in her exertions of physical strength.

Joan, although extremely hard working and unusually talented, seemed
to be an essentially normal peasant girl. The one thing that set
her apart was her intense religious devotion. Otherwise always very
gentle and kind, Joan became cross if the Churchwarden was ever
late ringing the church bells, and would scold the man harshly.
On weekends she would sometimes journey to a small chapel in a neighboring
region. She refused to dance, raising eyebrows among village girls
of the same age, and she went to confession constantly.

Commentary

Domremy was an extremely complicated place in terms of
its loyalties and allegiances. Religiously, it fell under the
control of a diocese based in the Holy Roman Empire. Politically,
the majority of it did not fall under the control of any French
noble as most regions did; instead, the French King ruled Domremy
directly.

Joan's youth must have been fairly idyllic. She remembered
playing under a favorite tree, called the "fairy tree" according
to legends of the Domremy townsfolk. During her later trial, accidental
mention of this tree would cause her some trouble, as her inquisitors used
it to strengthen their accusations about Joan's links to magic and
the occult. It may be delightful to imagine the young Joan as
an isolated shepherdess tending her flock, but this legend seems
to give a false impression. The major business in Domremy was
cattle, and there were very few sheep, so it seems unlikely that
Joan's family actually owned many sheep. There is little direct
evidence either way; the account of her as a "lone shepherdess"
has been widely repeated by biographers but may only be legendary.
In her exceptionally well-documented trial, Joan did not talk about
herding sheep, so this suggests that she may not have really worked
as a shepherdess. Then again, this role would have put her out
of parental control quite often, something she might not have wanted
to admit to her inquisitors. Joan didn't always get along very
well with her parents, in fact. She did have some conflicts with
her parents, especially shown by the fact that she left home in
1429 without telling them of her plan to join the Dauphin. Joan
also refused to enter into a marriage her father arranged for her.

More Help

Joanne, it seems, was of royal family. Cardinal Mazarini used to say, that official story of Joanne is a pile of crap. And it looks like it.

Voices, miracles, praying right and left, confessing wounded English, peasant parents, virgin of 19 year old in Middle Ages... What a pile of crap.

Joanne wore full knight armor. She handled f battle horse. She slept in armor near campfires. She handled weapons and participated in tournaments. She knew how Dauphin looked like. She had a coat of arms with royal insignia. - All these facts a... Read more→